September 29, 2003
Isabel from Sue
My friend Sue was caught in the fury of Isabel. Power was just restored to her home this week. Here's the story in her words:
What we survived is not something I ever gave any consideration to in the past. We fared better than many of our neighbors, with just an immense amount of tree debris to clean up. Several right here have trees that crashed through their homes, and huge trees down in their yards. The sound of chain saws and hammers from daybreak til darkness is now so common that I don’t even notice it. The streets are still littered with power company and phone company trucks and it’s impossible to explain was a comforting feel they bring with them. We have power companies from as far away as Canada, Texas and Louisiana helping. Our own was restored by a wonderful group from Alabama. Restoring power to 1.7 million here in Virginia is still not something I can even fathom.
Our small city, with an outage of 95% immediately after Isabel is indicative of the shape that all of Virginia is in. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that this looks like a place ravaged by war. Many of our merchants now have power, while some are still without, as are many residences. We were without power for 8 days, and everyday was a scramble to find the basics needed just to survive. We learned that you couldn’t take anything for granted. No longer was a bag of ice easily available, as well as water, batteries, propane, flashlights, candles, charcoal, etc. While for some, the experience brought out the worst, we were very fortunate to have a good network of neighbors. When one of us found something, we shared it with each other.
The most frightening period was losing all water pressure which occurred because of the lack of power. Never again will I take the small act of flushing a toilet for granted. Bottled water became a very precious commodity even for several days after the pumping station came up because the water was contaminated for another 48 hours. The federal and state agencies were slow to respond to the need for bottled water, but fortunately most of us had gotten in a good supply just prior to the storm, and we shared what we had with others.
When getting the basics really became an impossibility, we were blessed with “care” packages from as far away as Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas and California. Never before in my life was a UPS truck such a welcome sight. Fortunately we never lost our phone during or after the storm, and the many phone calls from all of you did much to lift morale and keep us going for another day. There was so much to deal with each day that my emotions often felt like a wild roller coaster ride.
My son Tony, his wife and two small children live in Elmont, a small rural community outside of Ashland, and unfortunately they are still without power. At least with our power back on, we are able to pour our support in their direction, along with the many generous things the rest of you have sent to help out. They may have up to another month before their power is restored, though we are all hoping that this prediction is off. The community supported agriculture farm, Free Earth, that Tony started up this past winter is pretty much lost to where there is no produce left nor any plant standing. Last Friday when I was finally able to go grocery shopping and there was no local produce of any kind to be had drove home just how devastating Isabel was to Virginia farmers. So, in addition to being without power, Tony’s income has dried up until aid that he’s applied for begins to flow in his direction. I am pleased to see that he hasn’t given up and is already beginning to talk about what needs to be done to get the fields ready for late winter and spring planting.
I can’t find enough thanks to express how much all of your support, in whatever form it took, has meant to us. Please continue to keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers as we rebuild our lives.